Articles | Volume 9, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1617-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1617-2015
Research article
 | 
20 Aug 2015
Research article |  | 20 Aug 2015

Impact of debris cover on glacier ablation and atmosphere–glacier feedbacks in the Karakoram

E. Collier, F. Maussion, L. I. Nicholson, T. Mölg, W. W. Immerzeel, and A. B. G. Bush

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AR by Emily Collier on behalf of the Authors (18 Jul 2015)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish as is (04 Aug 2015) by Valentina Radic
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Short summary
We investigate the impact of surface debris on glacier energy and mass fluxes and on atmosphere-glacier feedbacks in the Karakoram range, by including debris in an interactively coupled atmosphere-glacier model. The model is run from 1 May to 1 October 2004, with a simple specification of debris thickness. We find an appreciable reduction in ablation that exceeds 5m w.e. on glacier tongues, as well as significant alterations to near-surface air temperatures and boundary layer dynamics.